Born on April 9, 1985, Tomohisa Yamashita—more often referred to as Tomo or Yamapi—is a TV host, actor, and singer from Japan. In 1996, Yamashita became a trainee with the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. In 1998, he made his small-scale acting debut for NHK's Shonentachi. In 2004, he had his musical debut with the idol group NEWS. A year later, in 2006, he made his solo debut. After playing Kusano Akira in the popular drama Nobuta Wo Produce (2005), he began his acting career. He earned the title part in Kurosagi in 2006, which was his first significant role. Johnny & Associates declared in October 2011 that Yamashita would be focusing on his acting solo endeavours and would no longer be a part of NEWS.
Early Life And Career
In Funabashi, Chiba, Yamashita was born as Tomohisa Aoki. After his parents divorced while he was a small child, Yamashita's mother raised him and his younger sister. He adopted his mother's last name after his father left the household. His sister is called Rina, and his mother is named Naomi. When he was younger, 'Yama' was his nickname. Since his early years, he has been recognised for his physical prowess. He started taking karate in kindergarten and achieved a purple belt. He watched one of Takizawa Hideaki's dramas and was inspired to apply to the talent agency Johnny & Associates because he wanted to be on television like him.
Only Johnny & Associates phoned him for an audition out of all the agencies he sent applications to. He joined the Johnny's Junior group in 1996 and started working as a trainee for Johnny & Associates. 2006 saw him make his solo and trio debut as a singer in NEWS, a Japanese band consisting of three members. Later that year, in 1998, he made his acting debut in "NHK's Shonentachi." He became well-known as "Yamapi," which stands for Yamashita and Pink, after making his debut. Takizawa Hideaki gave him the moniker "Yamapi" as he once neglected to wear pink attire for a performance and was constantly reprimanded by his coach, "Yamashita, Pink!", much to the delight of everybody. He also goes by the nicknames "Pi," "Tomo-chan," "Pi-Chan," and "Pii-Tan."
In 1998, Yamashita made his screen debut in Shonentachi on NHK. After making an appearance in Ikebukuro West Gate Park in 2000, he attracted further notice. However, he got his big break as an actor in 2006 when he was cast in the lead role in the TV series Kurosagi. In 2008, he debuted on a larger screen in the Kurosagi film sequel, Eiga: Kurosagi. With the success of the Kurosagi soundtrack Daite Senorita, which sold over 800,000 copies, Yamashita also made his solo debut. In the romantic comedy Proposal Daisakusen, which won an award, he played time-traveler Iwase Ken. In the medical drama Code Blue, he played a flight attendant named Aizawa Kousaku.